Tips for Managing Resistance to Innovation in Medical Education

ABSTRACT

@#Resistance to innovation is a natural protective mechanism and it should be perceived as a “conditional acceptance” rather than outright rejection. The change agents need to take a number of steps to convert the conditional acceptance to a “welcome change”. The aim of this article is to equip the staff members in the institutions of higher learning with tools for effectively managing the resistance to innovations in medical education. We examined the published literature in the area of managing the resistance to change and combined it with our own experiences in the established as well as new medical schools in two Asian countries and developed 12 tips to assist the change agents to manage the resistance to innovations effectively. Application of these tips will help change agents to use their time and efforts efficiently and effectively to achieve credible and lasting changes in the field of medical education.